This invention relates generally to centralized generation of reports which compile and/or summarize operational data from remotely located user-operated electronic devices, for example, imaging devices used for medical diagnosis.
Diagnostic imaging systems are ubiquitous in modern health care facilities. Such systems provide invaluable tools for identifying, diagnosing and treating physical conditions and greatly reduce the need for surgical diagnostic intervention. In many instances, final diagnosis and treatment proceed only after an attending physician or radiologist has complemented conventional examinations with detailed images of relevant areas and tissues via one or more imaging modalities.
Currently, a number of modalities exist for medical diagnostic imaging systems. These include computed tomography (CT) systems, x-ray systems (including both conventional and digital or digitized imaging systems), magnetic resonance (MR) systems, positron emission tomography (PET) systems, ultrasound systems, nuclear medicine systems, etc. In many instances, these modalities complement one another and offer the physician a range of techniques for imaging particular types of tissue, organs, physiological systems, etc. Health care institutions often arrange several such imaging systems at a single facility or at multiple facilities, permitting its physicians to draw upon such resources as required by particular patient needs.
Modern medical diagnostic imaging systems typically include circuitry for acquiring image data and for transforming the data into a useable form, which is then processed to create a reconstructed image of features of interest within the patient. The image data acquisition and processing circuitry is referred to as a xe2x80x9cscannerxe2x80x9d regardless of the modality if physical or electronic scanning occurs as part of the imaging process. The particular components of the system and related circuitry, of course, differ greatly between modalities due to their different physics and data processing requirements. The terms xe2x80x9cscannerxe2x80x9d, xe2x80x9cmedical imaging devicexe2x80x9d and xe2x80x9cdiagnostic imaging devicexe2x80x9d will be used interchangeably herein.
Medical diagnostic systems of the type described above are often called upon to produce reliable and understandable images within demanding schedules and over a considerable useful life. To ensure proper operation, the systems are serviced regularly by highly trained personnel who address imaging problems, configure and calibrate the systems, and perform periodic system checks and software updates. Moreover, service offerings have been supplemented in recent years by service centers capable of contacting scanners at subscribing institutions directly without the need for intervention on the part of the institution personnel. Such centralized servicing is intended to maintain the diagnostic systems in good operational order without necessitating the attention of physicians or radiologists, and is often quite transparent to the institution.
In certain centralized servicing systems, a computerized service center will contact a scanner via a network to check system configurations and operational states, to collect data for report generation, and to perform other useful service functions. Such contacts can be made periodically, such as during system xe2x80x9csweepsxe2x80x9d, in which a variety of system performance data is collected and stored with historical data for the particular scanner. The data can then be used to evaluate system performance, propose or schedule visits by service personnel, and the like.
While such service techniques have proven extremely valuable in maintaining diagnostic systems, further improvements are still needed. Although the transparency of interactions between scanners and service centers avoids distracting medical personnel with service updates unnecessarily, some degree of interaction between service centers and institutions is highly desirable. In particular, an interactive service system facilitates valuable exchanges of information, including reports of system performance, feedback on particular incidents requiring attention, updates of system licenses, software, imaging protocols, etc. Currently available service systems permit such interactive exchanges. In particular, a platform has been developed that serves as a base for the interactive servicing needs of different modalities. This platform allows a central service center to exchange information on possible service problems with remotely located scanners, and to retrieve information or data log files from scanners for the purpose of servicing those scanners. One known platform provides a uniform interface permitting clinicians and radiologists to operate a variety of scanners in different modalities, and to report service issues for the scanners, via a uniform, intuitive format.
The known integrated user-interactive platform for servicing diagnostic equipment at remote locations may be configured in software, hardware, or firmware at the scanner or may be installed in a central operator""s station linking several scanners in a medical facility. The user interface permits service requests to be generated prior to, during or subsequent to examinations executed on the diagnostic equipment. The user interface also permits service messaging, report generation and retrieval, etc. The user interface is preferably configured as a network browser, which also facilitates linking the scanner or the central facility control station to a network such as an intranet or internet. The same user interface may be integrated into scanners of different modalities, thereby further facilitating service requests and the like by operations personnel, without requiring the personnel to become reacquainted with diverse interfaces in a facility.
In particular, the existing user-interactive platform provides the system user with the capability to request scanner utilization reports from a central service center based on the operational history of scanners at a remote facility. In order to provide such utilization reports, it is necessary to regularly collect operational data from these scanners, e.g., via telephone lines or networks.
In accordance with an existing system, every time a customer enters into a service contract to receive scanner utilization reports based on logged data from scanners, customer information and contract specifications are entered into a service contract database, as with any other service feature provided by the central service facility. Each scanner under contract can be programmed to collect its own operational data in computer memory and then proactively transmit that data to a central facility in accordance with a preprogrammed schedule input to the scanner by the central facility. Only scanners covered by a service contract which provides for data logging and report generation will transmit logged operational data to the central facility. After the central facility has collected and processed the log files of operational data from the scanners, scanner utilization reports can be generated. In particular, a hospital administrator can at any time request, via a wide-area network or the Internet, a utilization report compiling and/or summarizing collected operational data for scanners at that hospital. A report server for providing web-based utilization reports may be located far away from the central service facility where data log files are received.
The methods by which users define the content of complex reports are often involved and confusing, especially to novice users. Another problem is that reports generated from data warehouses are often created in advance and stored, which means that the data included in the reports may not be the most recent. In addition, dynamic database reports often take a long time to be displayed, leading to user dissatisfaction. In order to provide web-based scanner utilization reports that meet all of the reporting needs of even inexperienced users, a system must be developed that provides data access flexibility, an intuitive user interface and exceptional report data retrieval and display performance.
The invention is directed to a method and a system for providing remote access to scanner utilization or diagnostic imaging reports generated by a computer system having access to a database of collected scanner operational data. Preferably, the reports are delivered over a wide-area network, e.g. the Internet, in response to requests for access from customers. In particular, a preferred embodiment of the system comprises a graphical user interface which allows the user to specify all of the report content parameters and display the report on a single screen. The report content parameters section of the screen allows the user to identify the facility, organization area (i.e., department), equipment, time dimension, time frame, metrics and data slices that the user wants included in the report. The report produced will contain the information currently in the database, which information is updated daily. To meet usability needs, the report is easy to understand and is presented virtually immediately (e.g., in less than 5 seconds).
The preferred embodiment of the invention combines a user interface design with a set of data access mechanisms that result in an intuitive user interface and reporting features that are flexible and fast. The report screen contains an area, covering a majority of the screen and extending from one side of the screen, in which the report chart or graph is displayed. The remaining portion of the screen on the other side contains all of the definable report content parameters which can be specified by the user. The user specifies the desired report content parameters and then clicks a virtual activation button to display the report in the report area of the screen. Each of the report content parameter options displays a dynamic list containing the most recent data in the database. In particular, a scanner drop-down pick list will identify every activated scanner in a particular set defined by other parameters.
In accordance with a further aspect of the preferred embodiment, when the user logs in, the report content parameters default to the settings the user chose during that last session when the user requested a report. The time period parameter defaults to the most recent date for which data is present for the selected parameters. A user can specify whether he/she wants to see a trend report, showing data values over time, or a comparison report, showing the values for all the different attributes for a metric for a particular time period. The preferred reporting database uses OLAP (On-Line Application Processing) technology to meet the data flexibility and performance requirements. The data is presented as a chart.
In accordance with the preferred embodiment of the invention, all report content definition options and the report generated from those defined report content parameters are shown on a single web page. The report content definition is established in a top-down hierarchical fashion. The user can quickly and easily specify the content, metrics and data slices that the user wants to see on the screen. The report data retrieval and display process is extremely fast, resulting in increased end user productivity and satisfaction.